After They're Gone
by CamperThirteen
Summary: Ten years after TDI, the original 22 contestants receive an invitation to a reunion event in Sydney. However, things will not go according to plan. And when that happens, how will they carry on with their lives? Collab fic. Rated for safety.
1. Chapter 1

Diclaimer: We don't own TDI, TDA, or its characters. The idea for the story is Tdirockandmusic's, with a lot of Sprinlemist's thrown in. We write the fic together.

* * *

**After They're Gone**

_**~by Tdirockandmusic, Sprinklemist, and CamperThirteen**_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_**~by CamperThirteen**_

* * *

The invitations arrived in the mail, small pieces of snow-white paper with some ridiculous flowery patterns for decoration.

"Who's getting married?" Courtney asked Duncan when she saw the envelopes in his hands.

He jumped at the sound of her voice, even though they had been chatting while they went through their mail.

"What?" he asked, bewildered. Then he seemed to regain his composure enough to sniff and say casually, "I don't have psychic powers, in case you've forgotten, Princess. We'll have to open them first, don't you think?"

She put on a stern expression, although she was beaming on the inside.

"Go on, then."

Duncan proceeded to open one, never imagining that twenty other people from their past were doing the exact same thing.

* * *

Geoff and Bridgette were one of them. Like Duncan and Courtney, they had remained together after Total Drama Island had ended, and were currently living together, as well.

"It will be so cool to see everyone again," Geoff commented, grinning. "I can't believe I didn't think about it before!"

Bridgette could only smile at him. She was not so excited about seeing certain people again – such as Heather and Ezekiel – but Geoff was a kind soul, and he forgave easily. It was one of the things she loved the most about him.

"It will be a good opportunity to relive some old memories, I guess," Bridgette said, kissing his forehead.

* * *

Izzy and Owen had an on and off relationship marked by its remarkable lack of rules. The afternoon Owen's invitation arrived, Izzy was there by chance, and they too read it together. Izzy commented it was probably an invitation to Geoff and Bridgette's wedding.

* * *

Cody usually let his mail pile up in his kitchen, until he had no choice but to start going through it. He wasn't expecting anything different from the usual bills, magazines, and bank notices, so when he saw the suspicious-looking envelope he feared some weird fangirl had managed to find out his adress. Still, he opened it with hesitant fingers, only to find out it wasn't from a fangirl. It was worse.

* * *

"I have a bad feeling about this," Gwen confessed to LeShawna over the phone. Next to her, her husband was reading the letter again, unable to believe his eyes, even though he probably had the thing memorized by now.

"You mean you think they're making us sign up for a new season or somethin'?" LeShawana asked. Gwen could practically see her cocking an eyebrow. "After ten freakin' years?"

Gwen let out a long sigh and rubbed Trent's back absent-mindedly.

"I'm probably just being paranoid," she conceded with a small, secret smile.

* * *

Ezekiel considered not attending. For a long time he sat in his kitchen table, with the letter in front of him, and the plane ticket on top, as if it was luring him in. For that time he sat there, staring at it, and thinking.

Twice he jumped up and grabbed the ticket to toss it to the trash can. It wasn't like anyone would miss him, anyway. He had barely been around; they probably didn't even remember him.

A part of him felt sad about that possibility, but the other part told him it was probably better that way.

That was sad too.

* * *

Heather fumbled with the ticket, her back pressed against the cold steel of one of the airport's chairs, almost as if she wanted to merge with it. She didn't know why she had come; she really shouldn't have. Maybe it was not too late to leave.

"Good, I was beginning to think I was the only one who had a watch," a deep, monotone voice said. Someone took the seat next to hers, and Heather was so surprised by this physical proximity that she almost yelped.

"Noah," she said when she recognized him. He hadn't changed much since she had last seen him, except perhaps for a few extra premature wrinkles on his forehead. "How did you recognize me?"

"Well, let's see," he said, his voice dripping with annoyance, "You are sitting alone at a reserved area which contains exactly twenty-two seats..."

"You haven't changed, I see," Heather said in a vicious tone. "You're as charming as always."

"I could say the same thing about you," he replied, not missing a beat.

Without waiting for her answer or even bothering to look at her, he took out a book. Heather glared at it in incredoulousness and annoyance, but her jaw dropped when she read the title.

"The Total Drama Experience According to Heather," Noah said, smirking. "Such a _creative _title."

"At least I got some money out of that infernal summer, unlike _others_."

"By talking trash about all of us? Well, this reunion should be joyful for you."

She sniffed and turned her attention elsewhere. It was true that her book was a little harsh on everyone that had been on Total Drama Island, but she was only telling it like it was.

The third person to arrive didn't seem to hold that against her. He greeted her politely and sat next to Noah, while Heather struggled to come up with his name. Some skinny loser with a gap between his front teeth... Cody, was it?

She was half expecting DJ to arrive with his pet Bunny, and to see Katie and Sadie wearing the same outfits, so she was almost disappointed when she saw the three of them arrive. DJ looked as big and huggable as ever, but there was no rabbit on his arms; Katie and Sadie were dressed in a similar style, but they no longer mirrored each other. It seemed some things changed after all.

"Heather," someone said in an unpleasant voice.

Heather straightened. Other things never changed.

Lindsay walked towards her with remarkable confidence, with Beth and LeShawna by her side. The three girls looked pretty much the same as Heather remembered them: a dumb blonde, an ugly brunnette, and a large sister. Each more annoying than the last.

The only thing she could say had changed was LeShawna's look. Ever since her talk show had turned to be a success, she had started appearing on magazines sporting fashionable outfits. Heather guessed she had hired a stylist – it was the only possible explanation.

Right now LeShawna was wearing large sunglasses and black clothes, which only made her celebrity status more evident. Apparently money couldn't cure stupidity.

"I hope we're not on the same flight," Beth said, forcing Heather to tear her eyes off LeShawna and to fix them on the short girl with the eyeglasses.

"Same here," Heather replied coldly.

* * *

They were going to be late, and Trent knew it would all be his fault. Why had he decided to take his old motorcycle instead of a cab? Gwen shouldn't have let him, but for some reason she was really happy that day, and she told him he deserved one last taste of freedom. He guessed she had taken some marriage counseling tips from LeShawna or something, and didn't inquire further.

"The letter said we have to meet at a special area," Gwen reminded him patiently. "Do you see anything with Chris' face plastered on it?"

Trent looked around the crowded airport. "Nothing like that, but there _is _an area that says 'Reserved' and there are... twenty people there. Hey, that's the place!"

Gwen returned his bright smile with a smirk of her own.

"You have incredible powers of observation as usual, honey."

Trent didn't have time to reply. As soon as they got close to the place, he was engulfed in a tight embrace by a pair of strong arms. He caught the scent of expensive perfume and heard Gwen's cry of surprise before being released and seeing LeShawna's in the flesh.

"Nice to see you out of the TV for once," he managed to say before she went to hug Gwen. He couldn't help but notice she didn't squeeze her with as much strength as she had him. But he had no time to complain, as his old friends and acquaintances approached them.

"Yeah, didn't know big celebrities hugged like normal people," Gwen teased her friend, just after hugging Bridgette.

"Oh, shut it, you two," LeShawna said. She looked almost embarrassed. "I'm not that big a celebrity, anyway."

"Sure you aren't!" Duncan said. "Because hosting your own talk show and being featured in every magazine in the country doesn't make you a big celebrity, at all."

"Yeah, everyone who's anyone goes to your show," Cody intervened. His tone sounded slightly bitter.

"Which is why you'll see me there, very soon," Justin hastened to say.

"Really?" Sadie asked, grasping her hands together and bringing them close to her face in delight.

"What have you been up to?" Katie added, imitating her BFF.

Justin's handsome face seemed to freeze, but the effect melted into his classic smile.

"Well, I've done dozens of ads, commercials, and modeling. Not to mention I've landed a big contract as the new face of a cosmetics line for men."

"Whoa, you must get invited to the coolest parties, man."

"So, what flight are you guys on?" DJ asked with a smile. "I'm on Flight 472, with Harold and Eva," he motioned to the aforementioned. Trent noted that Eva looked as grim and unsmiling as ever, and Harold hadn't even changed his haircut.

"Unfortunately we're with Queenie too," Eva said, scowling at a young woman with long, straight black hair and expensive clothes.

Trent quickly grabbed Gwen's hand when he recognized Heather.

"Don't remind me," LeShawna groaned. Then she smiled at Gwen. "Please tell me you two are with us."

"No, we're on Flight 1472," Gwen couldn't mask the relief in her voice.

"Geoff and I are on Flight 390," Bridgette said, waving two tickets. "Is anybody else on that flight?"

Everyone shook their heads, except for one. A pale hand raised in the air.

"I'm on that flight too, eh," Ezekiel said.

Bridgette resisted the urge to groan out loud.

"That's awesome!" Geoff said, giving Ezekiel a thumbs up. "Too bad we don't all get to be together, though."

"I'm guessing that was Chris's idea," Gwen said.

"We'll see each other at the reunion, anyway," Courtney said. She didn't mind at all. There were certain people she did not want to be sharing a plane with, and Harold and Eva were among them.

* * *

Lindsay was the first to step on the plane.

"Oh my God, I've never traveled overseas!" she exclaimed. "Are we going to America?"

Tyler smiled at her, affectionately. "No, Linds, we're going to Sydney."

"Ohh," Lindsay paused. "Is that in America?"

"It's in Australia, genius," Gwen said as she and Trent passed her.

"It feels so wrong to be here without Sadie," Katie whined as she took the last seat of the right row.

"It's not like you're never seeing her again," Courtney said kindly, but still rolling her eyes. She took the seat next to Katie, and Duncan took the one next to her.

"Think they'll play a horror movie?" Gwen asked Duncan, as she sat next to him.

"I hope so," he replied, sending a playful glance towards Courtney. "I've never convinced Princess that they're the most romantic movies–"

"That's because they are not," she cut him off.

Trent couldn't resist but to smirk a little when he slid into the seat next to Gwen's.

"Actually, Courtney, they are nice to watch with your partner," he teased. "When she gets scared, she jumps straight into your arms–"

"You mean when _you _get scared, you jump straight into my arms," Gwen laughed, poking him on the arm with her finger.

Cody watched this exchange with slight envy. Still, he smiled at them when he took a seat behind Trent.

Lindsay watched the exchange too, frowning a little. When she and Tyler sat next to Cody, she couldn't help but let out a small sigh – why wasn't her relationship with Tyler the same as the one Gwen and Trent, or Courtney and Duncan had? Was there something wrong with them?

"Hey, Tyler," she began to say, but was cut off when Owen took the seat next to her boyfriend, causing the plane to incline in his direction.

"Sorry," Owen aplogoized.

Izzy laughed loudly and did a pirouette before landing into her seat, shouting "Woohoo! Let's go to Sydney! Alright!"

* * *

Meanwhile, on Flight 472, Beth lamented her fate as she sat next to LeShawna, who was sitting next to Sadie.

"I can't believe we're with _Heather_," she said, not caring if the girl had heard her. After all the humiliation Heather had put her through – first on national TV, then on her book – she had no consideration for her.

"You've said that twenty times already, girl," LeShawna sighed.

"Yeah, like, get over it," Sadie agreed. She then scooted closer and whispered, "Besides, you're sitting next to Justin!"

Beth gasped, not daring to turn around. She could feel the heat and the scent of cologne coming from his side, practically caressing her.

"Ladies," a voice rasped. Said ladies rolled their eyes when they saw Harold sit next to Justin.

Eva, DJ, and Noah boarded the plane and did a quick scan of who was sitting next to whom and what seats were left. Next to Sadie and separated by a narrow aisle were two seats.

"Hey, Eva..." Noah hadn't finished pronouncing her name when said girl scooted into one of those seats, followed by DJ. "That's just great."

That only left one other seat... The one next to a pale girl with long black hair. The girl was staring out the window so that her face was hidden from view, but Noah knew who she was.

He sat next to her with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

* * *

Heather had been trying her best to hide her face and, if possible, become invisible, when she felt someone sit next to her. Probably a stranger. It had to be.

But her eyes found Noah's when she turned around.

"Don't look so surprised, it was the only seat left," he said. "I'm just as delighted as you are."

Her eyes narrowed before she turned to face the window, again.

"In your dreams, dweeb."

"More like in my nightmares."

* * *

**Author's Note:** The original idea for this story was **Tdirockandmusic**'s, and it became a collaboration project between him, Sprinklemist (**sprinklemist1** on this site), and myself. I wrote the first chapter a while ago, so it's not like I abandoned my other fics to write this one. I've just been busy, but I'll update as soon as possible. Be patient with me, guys.

I don't really want to spoil the plot or anything, but be aware that this will be a dark fic. If you're hoping for a light-hearted story, this isn't it. Sorry.

And as usual, your** reviews are appreciated**. They are encouraging and help us see what we're doing right and what we're not, so go crazy!

Cheers,

~Emmy.


	2. Chapter 2

**After They're Gone**

_**-by Tdiandrockmusic, Sprinklemist, and CamperThirteen**_

*******

**Chapter Two**

_**~by Tdiandrockmusic**_

***

WHAM! Beth shot a look at the passenger behind her who apparently found it fun to kick her seat repeatedly. She shot a glance, and found a scowling punk with spiky hair and a skull tee. "Okay," she thought, "I can't stand this anymore." She pressed the flight attendant button, and a male flight attendant made his way down the aisle. Of course, Beth couldn't help but giggle. "Okay, he's sooo cute. Wonder where he's from?" Said member of the plane's cabin approached Beth. His nametag read "Purser McFarrel""_Purser? Isn't that like the head flight attendant or something? But he looks a little young to be in charge. Eh, it's United I'm flying on, not world class, except him." _Beth then let out an audible sigh.

"Uh, Ms, can I help you in any way?" Purser McFarrel asked.

"Oh, yeah, can I move to a different seat?" Beth replied, while glaring again at The Kangaroo Kid behind her.

"Sure, but the only one available is right over there." Purser McFarrel said while pointing at a seat between Heather and Noah.

"_Oh great, just what I need, a seat between Mr. Snarky-Pants and the Ice Queen. I'll take my sanity rather than my comfort."_ Then, the Kangaroo Kid kicked the back of Beth's seat again. "_You know what, I'll take my comfort."_

"Hey guys, I have a joke!" Izzy shouted, attracting the glances of more than the former island-mates she was sharing two middle rows of the plane with.

"Ooh, what is it Iz?" Owen asked, despite the fact he'd probably heard the joke a billion times.

"Okay, here it is. How do you wake up Lady Gaga?"

Courtney and Katie exchanged "Seriously?" looks and dryly answered, "Poke her face."

"Holy Alexander the Great, you guys are good!" Owen exclaimed.

"Owen, hate to burst your opinion on us, but that's like, the 21st century Why-Did-the-Chicken-Cross-the-Road." Katie retorted.

"How does that one go Katie?"

Courtney then wrote on a post-it note, "It's like talking to wallpaper." At the end of the row, Trent mouthed "Agreed", and Gwen and Duncan nodded their heads in agreement.

"Well, we should be arriving in Sydney in about three hours bro," Geoff said while facing Ezekiel." So this is your first flight huh."

"Yeah, I've never left the Yukon, eh," Ezekiel replied.

"So you never went anywhere?" Bridgette asked while turning around like her boyfriend.

"Well, I went to Yellowknife a couple times."

"Wow, you did not get out much Zeke." Geoff responded.

"I know."

Heather stuck the headphones of her iPod into her ears and turned it on. She skipped through a few songs, and settled on Fiona Apple. Halfway through "Criminal", she turned and noticed Beth next to her. She paused the song and opened her mouth to say hi, but Beth beat her to words.

"Don't talk to me. I know you planned to say an insult."

Heather sighed, "I understand why you would hate me, but I've changed, I…"

"Prefer to say negative things about them in best-selling people in best-selling books than rather to their faces." Noah finished.

Noah and Beth gave each other high-fives, and Heather cranked up the volume and drowned their voices out.

Ezekiel felt relieved when the plane finally touched down, it didn't feel natural to fly so high, he couldn't breathe outside the airplane. He volunteered to get the rental car to get to Chris' address while Geoff and Bridgette got his bags as well as their own. He finally got to the counter, and got the keys to a white Holden Commodore. Bridgette and Geoff had all five bags in their possession, and they fit in the trunk easily. Ezekiel started the car, but before he left the parking space, Bridgette called out,

"Wait, the others get here in three hours. Why don't we wait?"

"Well, you have a point eh."

"Sure Bridge, why not."

The three walked back towards the airport terminal, and managed to sneak past security and to Flight 1475's gate, or where the passengers would come in via buses.

Lindsay cleared her throat, causing Tyler to peer up over his book.

"Need to say something Linds?"

"Um actually, yeah, I have a question."

"And it would be?"

Lindsay reduced her voice to a whisper, "Do you think we're taking our relationship not very seriously?"

"What do you mean?"

"Tyler, we've known each other for so long now, yet we don't even live together and we keep breaking up and making up, it just doesn't make me feel very…happy about my life."

"You always seem happy, is it me?"

"It's just seeing everybody else together and happy that makes me feel this way, you're not to blame."

"Well, they all do seem really happy," Tyler replied while looking at Gwen sleeping with her head against Trent's chest, "But we're not toxic to each other, right?"

"No, but…"

"Lindsay," Tyler interrupted, "the more you talk about it, the worse you feel. It's like that with me most of the time."

Lindsay kept quiet; she decided he was right, at least for the moment.

Sadie had a dream while she was sleeping. She was flying by herself, no plane, no helicopter or anything, just flying like a bird. Katie was doing the same thing too. They both soared against a black sky, an expanse of ink speckled with stars so close, that Sadie wanted to touch them. Then, she felt herself fall. She turned over, there was Katie, calling her name and getting smaller and smaller as she plummeted down towards the sea. She hit its surface, just to wake up screaming. After the stares had gone away, she had tried sleeping again, just to have the dream repeat again and again. Sadie got no more sleep on the flight.

Courtney was relieved by the jarring of the wheels of the plane on the runway; it meant that in under an hour, she would finally be able to figure out if sitting for this long had rendered her legs useless. After taxiing to some spot on the tarmac, the plane stopped, and the distinct whine of the engines faded away. "_Ugh, no gate," _she thought, but the captain came on the intercom saying the temperature was in the low 90's, with a slight breeze. "_Okay, now I don't mind."_ She grabbed her carry-on containing the assorted books, ubiquitous iPod, toothbrush, hairbrush, all of that. Duncan grabbed his and they headed for the back staircase. She noticed Duncan faintly grinning at her and ensuring that no one bumped into her, as if she were a precious porcelain doll older than he was.

"Duncan, I'm perfectly fine, quit protecting me, okay." She said sincerely.

"True, but you could get grounded into the side of a smelly fat guy by some businessman focused on getting somewhere quickly." Duncan replied somewhat jokingly.

"If you insist my not-really-noble bodyguard," Courtney said teasingly, while Duncan a nudge.

"Thought so Princess."

The two finally descended down the staircase and out to a shuttle bus 200 yards away from the cockpit.

Harold let out a yawn, and looked at his watch. 9:15. Twenty minutes late. "_Why are planes always late when I'm on them? However, I think those lights are Sydney, so I'm not that late. Besides, it's not like I had anything planned tonight."_

Izzy grabbed her carry-on and sprang up out of her seat, she would get the bags, and Owen would check to see if they left anything. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she headed down the aisle.

Katie silently opened the overhead compartment, grabbed the hot pink duffel bag that had functioned as her carry-on, and smoothly strode out the staircase onto a shuttle with Tyler and Lindsay, all with a pit in her stomach. "_Why am I feeling this way?"_ she thought. "_It's not like anything bad is going to happen. We've already arrived."_

"Oh no," said a discouraged Gwen, "My cell phone's still on the plane. I'm gonna go back and get it. "

"May I escort you Ms.?" Duncan asked.

"Sure, I guess."

Courtney and Trent glared at them jokingly, and Courtney made the "I'm watching you" gesture.

As the two walked back towards the plane Gwen asked, "Okay, why'd you want to accompany me?"

"Thing is I have this," Duncan took out a black velvet jewelry case, and opened it. Inside, laid an engagement ring.

Gwen gasped, "You're going to propose to Courtney?"

"Yes, yes I am. And I have no clue how to do so, so I'm asking you."

"Awww, don't worry, all you have to do is just get down on one knee and just say 'Will you marry me.' It's one of those things that when you think about it longer, the harder it seems to be."

"Thanks for your advice," Duncan said as they got to the stairs, "Now get your phone already."

Gwen stepped up the stairs and went down the aisle, and came out a couple minute later with her cell phone.

Meanwhile, in the cockpit of Flight 472, a control panel flickered and went out; it's instruments and autopilot useless.

"Wait," exclaimed the pilot, "The plane's still turning!"

Sure enough, the plane was still taking the route necessary to land on the runway. But the two had no idea the curve should have been tighter.

"Hey Eva, I think we're finally landing," Said DJ.

"Great," Eva replied, "Now I can finally get back to the gym, my training regimen's been thrown off enough with this flight, but who knows what'll happen during the reunion."

"Cool, I hope I'll see a koala, they're cute and fluffy," cooed DJ. Eva nodded her head in approval; koalas were so cute, even Eva-the-Hun liked them

"Hey wait," DJ continued with a freaked out tone, "Isn't that the runway right there?"

"Wait, it is! So that means…"

DJ and Eva couldn't talk anymore as their plane sliced into the roof of Flight 1475.

Duncan and Gwen had left the plane when Flight 472 landed off course. A few seconds before the jet hit the parked Flight 1475, the two ran realized what was happening and ran for the shuttle screaming. As Flight 472 hit the roof of Flight 1475 it broke apart, sending one of the engines hurtling into the sky, then smashing onto the ground and flipping parallel to them. After a few flips, the engine suddenly moved sideways, crushing Gwen.

"NOOOOOO, GWEN!" screamed Trent from the shuttle.

Then shrapnel from both flights pierced the windows and one shard of metal lodged itself in Trent's arm. He collapsed to the ground next to Courtney, who was crouched under her seat screaming, along with Izzy.

Geoff, Bridgette, and Ezekiel watched the carnage from the terminal. As the shrapnel stopped flying around, the three headed down to where the shuttles arrived, and went out to the wreckage. Meanwhile, in said carnage, Heather squirmed in her seat, there was no way out. She was stuck in a heap of smoldering metal, plastic, and God-knows-what-else, but she was alive. This happened to not be the case with the other passengers.. She, Beth, and Noah were trapped in their row of seats, with the rest of the plane crumpled and distorted into a gory, tragic Picasso painting. Noah was busy trying to turn his sweater vest into a tourniquet for Beth, who was severely cut, with a broken arm and leg.

"Beth, Noah, there's something I want to say," Heather said while holding back sobs; particularly large ones.

"What, want to give us one last insult?" Noah replied, his voice obviously dripping in acid.

"Let her talk Noah, there's a fire on the plane, we won't have to hear her talk for too long," Beth countered cockily, despite blood trickling out the corner of her mouth.

"Okay, Beth Noah, I'm extremely sorry for all the things I said and did to you on the show, as well as after. I was heartless back then, and I only knew how I felt. I just want to say I'm sorry before we all die, in the hope that at least one person might forgive me and not spit on my coffin at my funeral," Heather apologized, finally letting the sobs she was holding. At the same time, the trickle of blood coming out of Beth's mouth intensified into wracking coughs of blood, she didn't have much time left.

"Heather, you did a lot of mean things to me on the show, and even more to Lindsay. A big part of my brain said to never forgive you, to hold a constant grudge," Beth managed to choke out, and her words got less intelligible as more blood came out of her mouth, "But I always knew that would be just stooping down to your old level," Beth's words became murmurs, and she placed her hand on top of Heather's, "But I know better and I wanted to say that I… forgive… you," Beth's eyes closed, and she stopped breathing. Heather sobbed harder and she managed to whisper,

"Thank you Beth. Thank you,"

At the same time, the sound of metal being twisted was heard, and a shaft of light temporarily blinded Heather and Noah's eyes, and a voice called out,

"Is anyone alive down here?!"

"Yes, yes we are!" Noah shouted in reply.

The shaft of light became bigger, and Heather saw a man unbuckle her seatbelt and drag her out into the cool night, out of the plane through her tears.

Courtney peered out from under her seat; the coast seemed to be clear. Izzy was tending to a minor wound of Trent's, Duncan and Gwen were… wait, where were they? Were they… outside the shuttle? Did they already get out?

"Guys, I'm going to look for Duncan, I'll be back in a couple minutes." Courtney said with a quivering voice. Izzy replied with an okay, Trent just groaned. Courtney got up; pushed open the doors of the shuttle bus, and gasped. The still night was lit by the burning hulks of both flights, there was no way anybody on either flight could have survived the collision. Then, she looked slightly down, and gasped again. For there, 20 yards away, was a blood coated engine, and Duncan facing up with a pool of blood around him. She ran over and kneeled by his side, forgetting the fact she was probably getting an amount of blood in her favorite slacks that she would probably never get out.

Duncan noticed she was there and asked weakly, "Hey Princess, is that you?"

"Yes Duncan, it is."

Duncan let out a massive cough and a gasp for air.

"I just want to say, loving you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I hope you never forget me, but if you find someone else, okay, won't want you to become some depressed, anti-social disguised emo now, would I…"

"Duncan, don't act as if you're going to die! Seriously, somebody'll stitch you up or something!" Courtney replied frantically. She turned towards the advancing rescue teams and shouted "Help, please, help! Someone's dying over here!"

Courtney turned around to face Duncan, who was now lying on his stomach. Courtney now saw what had caused all the blood. A large piece of shrapnel, possibly from the engine, had sliced the right side of his back, all the way from his waist to where it was buried in his shoulder bone.

"I don't think they can patch that up in time Princess. Look, I know I'm going to die here, and before that happens, I want you to have this," Duncan pulled out a black velvet jewelry case from his pocket, and gave it to Courtney. She opened it to find a ring, a large diamond surrounded by sapphires. Courtney couldn't believe it, Duncan actually noticed her stopping to look at this ring in the jewelry store window every once in a while.

"Duncan, please, don't leave me. Everything will be okay, you'll get blood, we'll get married, we'll be happy…" Courtney's pleading was cut off by Duncan turning back over and pulling her in for a kiss. After a few seconds, the two pulled apart, and Courtney whispered, "I'll always love you Duncan."

"As will I," Duncan replied even softer, then closed his eyes permanently.

Geoff, Bridgette and Ezekiel sprinted towards the burning wreckage of Flight 472, they had heard two survivors had been pulled out, and there could be more trapped in the wreckage still.

"Are you sure you want to go right up to the plane? We could kill ourselves eh." Ezekiel asked nervously.

"This isn't a time to worry about ourselves Zeke," Geoff countered, "There could be other dudes trapped in that hunk of aluminum, and they could slowly burn to death. Do you want that to happen?"

Ezekiel gulped, and shook his head. The trio arrived at the wreckage, and Geoff immediately started tossing aside loose pieces of metal, unaware he was standing in a huge puddle of jet fuel, with a fire slowly coming closer to him. Bridgette and Ezekiel did the same in different sections of the plane. Then, a huge updraft of flames burst into the sky, and Bridgette jumped back and ran away out of shock. After a few minutes, when the fire died down, she tentatively stepped towards the even-more charred wreckage.

"Bridgette, come over here eh!" Ezekiel beckoned.

Bridgette quickly broke into a sprint and reached his location. When she arrived, all Ezekiel did was simply point down. There, under a segment of windows with the glass either melted away or blown out, lay Geoff's immolated corpse. Bridgette barely had time to leave the scene before being sick.

The red sport coupe had barely come to a stop at the terminal entrance when Chris bounded out of the car and headed for the gates"_I knew something bad would happen. This just wasn't worth saving the two hundred bucks." _he thought. The airport was in severe disarray, it was easy to bypass security, the screener-people had already abandoned their stations in an attempt to stop the mass panic. From a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows, he saw what happened. Two flights, the flights _he _had put the contestants on, had collided, and now at least half of them were dead. The scene was grisly; very little of Flight 1475 remained, other than a black shell that had been the cargo hold of it, the rest had been blown away in the explosion that ripped off the wings, tail, and passenger deck. Flight 472 was nothing except a hulk of charred, twisted metal consumed by flame. Chris didn't think anybody on either plane at the time of the crash survived. He over heard two employees talking,

"Man, when I accepted this job, I never thought I'd see this. This… this…this is horrible. I actually had to pull dead bodies out of Flight 472 before they burned up so they could be send home for burial. What did you do?"

"I herded survivors into the terminal; they'd hamper the rescue and fire crews otherwise."

"How come I didn't get that, I puked three times and _will_ be traumatized for life because of this,"

Chris stopped eavesdropping, and quickly searched around for the room where they broadcast those messages over the speaker. After searching around multiple terminals, he finally found the loudspeaker room after thirty minutes. The announcer, a blue eyed blonde who had a slight resemblance to Lindsay was speaking,

"Please remain calm; there is no need to panic. Please leave the airport immediately, all flights are canceled, all flights inbound are being diverted to Melbourne…"

Chris grabbed the microphone out of her hand, and shouted into it,

"All surviving Total Drama ex-contestants please get to the United Airlines counter as soon as possible! Sorry for the interruption everybody else!"

Chris dropped the microphone into the stunned woman's lap, and headed for the counter himself.

***

_Author's Note: That wraps up the (hopefully) tear-inducing chapter two, Sprinklemist is handling chapter three._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: We don't own anything but the plot, which is TDIRM's with a few splashes of Sprink thrown in.

* * *

**After They're Gone**

_**-by Tdiandrockmusic, Sprinklemist, and CamperThirteen**_

*******

**Chapter Three**

_**~by Sprinklemist1**_

***

Chris ran as fast as he could to the United Airlines counter, ignoring all the shouts from the employees that running could be dangerous. Chris arrived to the counter and saw that he wasn't the first to get there. He saw a red haired woman sitting in one of the chairs, and two others standing at the counter. Chris put his arms around the two former contestants at the counter and said, "I'm so glad you're both okay."

Lindsay looked at Chris with tears in her eyes and said, "What's going on, Chris? Are the others going to be alright?"

Tyler said reassuringly, "They'll be fine, babe."

Chris didn't know what to say, so he repeated what he had said earlier, "I'm so glad you're both okay." Chris turned to approach Izzy. Tyler put his hand out and placed it on Chris' shoulder before he got too close.

"I don't think she's handling this very well," Tyler said.

Chris paused to observe Izzy. She started talking to herself, saying, "Never... I'll never fly... Never fly again... No way..."

Cody was the next to come to the area. He sat in one of the open chairs, and remained silent. Chris sat down next to the young man and said, "Hey, Cody." Cody averted his glance. Chris said, "I'm sorry about what happened." Cody remained quiet. Chris tried, again, saying, "If you need to talk, I'm here." Cody said nothing.

Chris looked up and saw Ezekiel walking with his arm around Bridgette as they slowly made their way to the area. The very sight of Bridgette's expression instantly indicated to Chris who would not be joining them. Chris didn't know what to say as Ezekiel led Bridgette to one of the chairs. She sat down and cried uncontrollably.

Another young woman approached the counter. She angrily shouted to the clerk at the counter, "This airline can expect a lawsuit! You hear me?!" Chris quickly got up and approached Courtney. He put his hand on her shoulder, and she looked back at him. He lost his breath at seeing her expression. He could see the tracks of her tears as new tears started to form. Her eyes somehow expressed anger, sadness, and confusion, all at once. Courtney shifted her shoulder, and Chris' hand fell. Courtney slammed her fist against the counter and repeated, "You hear me?" Chris turned, deciding to leave Courtney to express her grief in her own way.

Another woman had arrived when he attempted to console Courtney. She too had been crying. Chris took a seat next to her and offered his hand for her too hold. She accepted and took hold of his outstretched hand. She said, "She was my best friend." Chris could feel his heart sink. She continued, "I've never gone a day without her by my side, or at least talking to her." Katie looked at Chris and said, "What am I going to do without her?" She took her hand from Chris' hand, so she could cry into both hands. Chris didn't say anything, but he put his hand on the woman's back.

Izzy began speaking to herself, loudly, "It was him... He was the one who helped me get over my fear of flying... What will I do without him? I'll never fly again..." Katie got up from her seat and put her arms around Izzy. Izzy just blankly stared ahead and said, "He made me happy..."

Courtney continued being aggressive with the clerk, who did his best in not taking anything she said personal. Lindsay and Tyler looked at each other and instantly knew what the other was thinking. They both walked together to Courtney. Courtney was in the middle of another rant, when Lindsay said, "Court... Maybe you should leave these people alone."

Tyler added, "It wasn't their fault. It was an accident."

Courtney looked over her shoulder and said bitterly, "Leave me alone."

Lindsay said, "I think it might be a good idea for you to talk to someone about what you're feeling. I'd be more than willing to listen."

Courtney said, "You wouldn't understand anything I'm feeling. I don't even..." She paused.

Tyler said, "Be sure that we're truly sorry that you lost Duncan." He put his hand on Lindsay's shoulder. They turned and headed toward their seats.

Before they got too far, Courtney said, "Why did it have to be Duncan? He meant more to me than anything." Tyler and Lindsay stopped walking. Before they could turn around, Courtney bitterly said, "The two of you obviously don't have what Duncan and I did. It should have been one of you." Tyler looked at Lindsay. He could see in her eyes that Courtney's words stung. He felt the sting of her words as well. They continued to the seats. Tyler looked at Lindsay, as tears fell from her eyes.

Two more people came to the area. Everyone looked at them. Heather felt overwhelmed when she realized they were looking at her. They quickly turned their gaze. Heather felt a pain in her chest. She knew what the others were thinking, that they had actually hoped that she was one of the victims. She didn't think about her reaction. She took hold of the young man standing next to her and buried her face into his shoulder. Noah didn't know what to do. He hardly wanted the others to think that he had any sort of a relationship with her. He wanted to break away from her grasp, but he couldn't abandon her. Noah stood still until Heather regained her composure, and let go. She looked into his eyes as a silent 'thank you'. Heather sat down in a chair. Noah walked over to Cody, and sat down. The two former friends said nothing to each other. They never had any disagreements, they simply lost touch with each other over the years. But Noah could tell that something was deeply bothering Cody.

Chris surveyed the former contestants. He thought, "Is that everyone?" One more man walked into the area. Chris turned to the clerk and he informed Chris that that was the last of the survivors. Chris said, "Everyone... I'm so sorry about this entire tragedy." The grieving survivors all looked at him. One of them approached him. Chris continued, "I don't feel like there are any words to describe how sorry I am. Each of you must be..." Chris' words were interrupted by a heavy force. Chris felt his jaw with one of his hands. He rubbed his hand against his mouth and looked at his hand and the blood that covered it. Chris silently looked at the man who had struck him. Rage emanated from the young man. Chris stopped the silence that filled the room by saying, "Trent... I'm sorry this happened."

Trent screamed, "Liar! You knew this would happen!" Chris looked as though Trent's words hurt more than the strike from his fist. Trent turned to the survivors and pointed at Chris. Trent said, his voice trembling, "He knew this was going to happen. He staged the entire thing to boost ratings for his little reunion."

Chris said, "I would never do that."

Courtney said, "We all know what happened on the fourth season of your reality show. After that incident you fled here to hide from the jurisdiction of the authorities looking for you."

Chris thought, "How did she know all of this?" but instead he said, "That was an accident, just like this." Chris looked at the faces of the survivors. It hurt him that they actually believed that he would orchestrate something so vile, just for publicity. Chris said, "I didn't have anything to do with this." Chris could still feel the disbelief in the room. He said, "The reunion is off... Obviously. You can all go home."

A voice randomly said, "No." Everyone turned their gaze to the person who uttered the word. Ezekiel continued, "I think we should still have the reunion, eh." Ezekiel heard sounds of bitter laughter. He continued, "Only... as a memorial." The laughter stopped.

Tyler said, "That's a great idea."

Ezekiel added, "The families will no doubt have some sort of service for them, too. But I think it would be good for us to have one to remember everyone."

Trent slowly said, "As long as it takes place in a dignified way."

The survivors looked at Chris. He said, "Of course. We can make this happen, if none of you are opposed to it." Chris looked directly to Courtney.

She said, "I'm not opposed."

Chris walked over to Ezekiel and sat by him. Chris said, "I want you to oversee this." Ezekiel looked quizzically at Chris. Chris continued, "I can't attend... For legal reasons. You'll be able to use the studio we planned on using for the reunion. I'll arrange everything, but you're in charge of the event. Do you think you can handle it?"

Ezekiel nodded and said, "I'll do it."

Chris pat Ezekiel on the knee. He began to walk away from the area; he looked back, as if to say something, but the still mournful feeling of the section caused him to remain silent. Chris left the airport.

The young adults all rose from their seats and began to leave the airport. Noah gathered his things and headed to the front door. He looked back and saw Heather at a counter. He stepped closer to the door, but stopped. He sighed, turned, and walked toward Heather. He thought to himself, as he rolled his eyes, "Why do I have to be the one to do this?" He reached Heather and said, "What's up?"

Heather said, "I'm going home."

Noah said, "Why not just go to the memorial?"

Heather said, "No one wants me there. I can pay my respects anywhere."

Noah said, "Do what you want, but..."

Heather interrupted him and said, "Oh, boy. Here it comes."

Noah said, "Here what comes?"

Heather explained, "The part where you say that you want me there. Spare me. I wouldn't believe it, anyway."

Noah said dryly, "Get over yourself. I was going to say that if the media finds out that you survived and you weren't there to pay your respects to the dead, they'll jump at the chance to paint you as the heartless harpy everyone believes you to be."

Heather silently stared at Noah for a few seconds. She turned to the person at the counter and said, "Never mind. I'd like to book a flight for tomorrow evening, though."

* * *

Ezekiel stood nervously at the doors of the studio. He desperately hoped that everything turned out. It had only been one day since the incident.

Bridgette, Izzy, Katie, and Cody arrived together, in the same taxi cab. Ezekiel smiled at his former costars as they walked in. They all seemed to ignore him as they each found a seat. Cody sat in the back row by himself, while Bridgette, Katie, and Izzy sat together in the front row. Ezekiel felt nerves even worse. He wanted the event to be a way that everyone could remember the victims, but he still feared that things weren't going to turn out well. He never really had any close relationship with anyone from the show... Or anyone in general, but he still sought acceptance from the others.

Noah, Trent, Lindsay, and Tyler arrived next. Lindsay and Tyler sat in the middle row. Trent sat in the back row, and Noah took a seat next to Cody. Cody hadn't shaved in the morning, that was apparent to Noah. Noah wanted to know why Cody seemed so bothered. He hadn't lost anyone he had cared about too much... anymore. Noah fought his urge to say nothing and said, "Cody, if you want to talk about what you're feeling, I'll listen."

Cody looked ahead. He opened his mouth and said, "Is it wrong to be jealous of a dead person?" Noah didn't answer. He didn't know what he should possibly say.

Heather arrived next. She quietly sat between Noah and Trent. Courtney arrived next. She sat in the front row next to Katie. Ezekiel walked onto the stage and stood behind the podium that he had set up. He stood there for several minutes. Courtney said, "Aren't you going to start?"

Ezekiel spoke into the microphone, "Everyone isn't here yet."

Courtney looked behind her. She said, "Everyone's here. Chris didn't change his mind, did he?" Ezekiel shook his head.

The door opened. Everyone turned their eyes to the doors. Heather quickly turned around. Noah looked at her face and could tell that she was mortified.

"Trent, Trent," One of the voices of the people who had entered said, "Do you mind answering some questions?" Several men and women with microphones surrounded him, along with several men holding cameras pointing directly at him.

Courtney turned to face Ezekiel. She said, "Chris invited the press?"

Ezekiel said, "No, this was my idea."

The press continued to ask Trent if he would answer their questions. Trent finally said, "If I answer your questions, will you leave me alone?" The reporters smiled and nodded. Trent said, "Fine."

One of the reporters asked, "We heard you were on the same flight as Leshawna, what was she doing in her final moments?"

Trent answered, "I don't remember."

Another reporter asked, "How do you feel about Leshawna's death?"

Trent paused. He realized that he hadn't even been thinking about Leshawna. He answered, "I'm not sure..."

One of the reporters asked, "What do you have to say to the millions of Leshawna's fans who are mourning her death?"

Trent froze. Was Leshawna the only person who died? Did they completely forget about the others? Did they even remember the woman he was married to? Trent abruptly stood up. He pushed passed the press and headed for the door. They barraged him with shouts of, "Trent?! Trent?!" Trent walked out of the building.

The press, seeing that Trent had left, turned their attention to the next target. One of the reporters said, "Heather! Are you happy to see some of your old enemies gone?"

Heather felt pierced through the heart. She turned her head away from the reporter. Noah could not help but feel sorry for her, as she had turned her face in his direction. He could tell how bad the question hurt her. He quickly stood up and took Heather by the hand. She looked up at him and stood up, as well. Cody stood. Katie stood. Izzy stood. All of them walked out the door. The members of the media followed them outside, shouting their names.

Courtney stood up and said to Ezekiel, "Well, that turned out horribly. I knew you were still as insensitive as ever."

Ezekiel nervously said, "I didn't think something like that would happen."

When Courtney turned around, she saw Tyler and Lindsay with their bodies leaning against each other, as they held hands. She looked at them in a disgusted manner before exiting the building. Tyler pressed Lindsay closer to him as she started to cry.

After a few minutes, the couple walked toward the exit. Tyler looked outside and saw that everyone, including the media, had left. The two stepped outside. Tyler shut the door behind him. He hugged Lindsay and said, "Lindsay?" She looked at his face. He continued, "I thought about what Courtney said. I think maybe she's right. Maybe we aren't as close as she was to Duncan, or Trent was to Gwen."

Lindsay said, "Tyler... You aren't saying what I think you're saying, are you?"

Tyler fell to one knee, and said, "Lindsay? Will you marry me?" Lindsay looked surprised. She thought he was about to break up with her. Tyler said, "I don't ever want to lose you. I think it's time to take our relationship more seriously." He held out a ring to her that he fished from his pocket. "I left the hotel room last night, and found this. It's not much, but..."

Lindsay said, "Yes." Tyler stood up and kissed his fiancee.

He said, "I looked up a local chapel. How does getting married today sound?"

Lindsay hesitated. She thought about any doubts she had about their relationship, but quickly thought about what happened the day before. Lindsay said, "Wonderful."

The two held hands as Tyler flagged down a taxi.

* * *

Ezekiel stood silently behind the podium. He rested his head against it. Bridgette was the only one there. Ezekiel looked up, with tears flowed down his cheeks. He said, "You can go, too, you know."

Bridgette said "I know. I just... I know you didn't mean to hurt the others feelings."

Ezekiel said, "I wanted this to go well, in order to pay respect to the... victims. I thought the world would be interested in what happened, and wanted to grieve along with us. I didn't think the press was going to be so cruel."

Bridgette got up from her chair and stepped on stage. She took Ezekiel by the hands and turned to the microphone. She said, "Geoff was a caring person. Right until the end, he only cared about helping anyone who might have survived." She didn't try to hold back her tears. "He died a hero. He will never be forgotten. He was a kind, giving human being. I'm honored to have ever met him, and to have been a part of his life." Bridgette turned to Ezekiel and said, "Thank you."

Ezekiel hugged Bridgette and said, "That is what I wanted. I wanted them to be remembered for who they were, not for what they were on TV." Ezekiel turned to the microphone and addressed the empty room. "Eva appeared to be a gruff individual, to say the least, eh. But not many people saw her kinder side. It never showed up on television, but when she was with her friends she was one of the most gentle people you could ever meet."

Bridgette took her turn, "DJ was one of my closest friends. He had a beautiful heart, and a part of him will shine on in the hearts of everyone who was ever touched by his love for others, animals, and charity."

Ezekiel said, "I didn't know Harold as well as some others may have, but he always made me smile whenever I saw him. I remember the time..."

* * *

_Emmy's Note: This chapter was written by Sprinklemist (Sprinklemist1 on this site) and I made some minor modifications to it. Next chapter will be written by myself. We appreciate the reviews, as usual. ;)_

_Cheers!_

_~Emmy. (CamperThirteen)_


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